�Global first� will count towards Higher qualifications

SCOTTISH schoolchildren will soon be able to gain a qualification in internet safety in a move hailed as a global first by education chiefs.

In a unique online-only teaching format, the Intermediate 1 unit (which counts towards a Higher qualification) will give pupils skills in recognising grooming, cybercrime and identity theft to educate them in online protection.

Pupils, who can complete the course at home or in the classroom, are assessed by an online multiple choice test and will also keep a diary of their work. As well as learning about safety, some of the topics include legal advice on downloading music, copyright protection and how to set up virus protection and firewalls.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said the e-qualification is the first of its kind in the world, and is being offered across Scotland from April after a successful pilot programme last year. Joe Wilson of the SQA said: "There has been a sea change in attitudes to online learning in the past couple of years - it's no longer viewed with any suspicion and is a valid way to teach and assess. It's about using the medium responsibly, and challenging the scary bit of the net. I think parents will also find the qualification reassuring."

Local authorities already offer advice to pupils and teachers about online safety but the information varies widely between councils, which in part prompted the SQA to develop the unit. As it is delivered entirely online, other learning centres such as colleges and libraries will also offer access to the course, and the public will be able to see all the learning material on a site the SQA will make available.

As part of the development of the unit, the BBC, Learning And Teaching Scotland and British Telecom were consulted and more than 500 teachers were surveyed for their views.

That research found widespread enthusiasm among teachers for more online learning - alongside traditional teaching methods - and found more than 30% of teachers believe e-learning will play a "crucial" role in the future.

A range of charities and child protection groups welcomed the new qualification. John Carr, new technology advisor to children's charity NCH, said the qualification has the potential to benefit children across the UK. He said: "It is a great, innovative and joined-up approach to this issue, and I would certainly be interested in seeing if English and Welsh authorities could offer it too."

Alex Nagle, head of harm reduction at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOPC), the national police-backed watchdog, said the course is "a vital step in curriculum authorities placing internet safety at the heart of the way young people use the net at home and at school. We really support integrating internet safety in this way." Stephen Balkam of the Internet Content Rating Association also welcomed the course. "There are plenty of safety courses offered by schools, but to have a qualification in it sounds fantastic," he said.

Research shows that cyberspace can be a frightening place for children - figures from the CEOPC shows that 16% of eight to 15-year-olds have come across something "nasty, worrying or frightening" online. Telecoms regulator Ofcom reported last year that 70% of 16 to 24-year-olds share personal information while using social networking sites, which could be used fraudulently. However, one in three boys and one in five girls aged 12 to 16 claim they use the internet to look at pornography at least once a month.

Teenagers, however, were less certain about the value of having the qualification. Liam Hannan, 16, from Blairgowrie, said: "If you put it in schools no-one will take it. The guys who are net savvy won't need it."

Scottish Youth Parliament treasurer John Loughton, 19, said: "Young people, not just adults, should have been involved in developing the course."